All I Want for Christmas
by felinefemme
Summary: What does Misaki Kirihara want for Christmas? And what does Hei want? It's probably safe to say it's not the same thing.
1. Chapter 1

Kirihara never used to hate Christmas. In fact, as a child, she loved it. She loved the presents, the decorations, the whole "celebrating something even though it's super-cold" thing. But when she hit high school, Christmas became less about fun and presents, and more about boys, and, well, boys, and it hasn't changed since. Sure, the stores are decorated with the gaudiest lights and trees and whatever fake snow-related things they can come up with, but it's not quite the same. And while she does appreciate the extra desserts people make just for the holiday, it doesn't quite hit the same spot as greasy food does. Or perhaps it's the way Japan so easily borrowed this Western holiday for its own commercial purposes that has her on edge these days.

Ah, who is she kidding? She hates Christmas because of the whole romance aspect. If it was just about gifts, she wouldn't care, it would be like a second birthday, which is how she treated the holiday when she was a child. But now that she's older, old enough to hear the "Christmas cake" jokes more often, she's ready to punch out anyone who asks about her Christmas Eve plans. Like I have any time for romance, she grumbles inside, seeing how the contractor cases have piled up since Halloween. Why winter brings out the crazies, whether in the regular world or hers, is a mystery she has yet to fathom, but it does. Sighing, she glares dully at the still-large amount of pending cases in her inbox, and for a few seconds, wonders if yanking the plug out of the socket will magically make the contractors disappear. Yeah, right. And the false sky will suddenly fill with real stars.

She sighed again, then rolled her head to crack her neck. Even if her caseload suddenly disappeared, with all the contractors taken care of, there was no way she'd have anything romantic lined up for the holiday. At best, she'd spend the day with her father, who hadn't found anyone new since her mother passed away. While she understood his reluctance to get involved with anyone new, she couldn't help but feel pressured every time they spent time together, as he would not-so-subtly ask about any prospects in the romantic department. A few years ago, she joked that she was thinking about having someone new move in with her, he'd seemed so happy that she had to burst his bubble and say she was thinking about getting a cat or dog. She learned never to joke like that again, and kept things cordial, but straightforward with him ever since.

Oh well, another day, another crazy contractor with powers to defy science and rational thought. It was a bit ironic, then, that contractors would be coldly rational, wasn't it? Oh well, she thought, she'd heard the same thing being applied to herself, but it came naturally, even before she chose a field that was male-dominated. She finished typing her report on the last case her team had solved, with a contractor who controlled wind and whose remuneration was practically drowning his face in water. Saitou had pulled the man out of the water fountain, thinking the contractor was trying to kill himself, but that "saving" act turned out to have negative results for the contractor, resulting in a rare arrest for Saitou. Dumb luck, yes, but for once, Saitou was on the receiving end of it, and she had found herself smiling a rare smile at her subordinate. While Saitou wrote a brief summary of his actions, Kirihara still had to write out the entire report, beginning to end, and dig up the file that Saitou had, in his usual manner, misfiled in his computer. "One would think, after all this time, he would know where to file them," she muttered under her breath, then shook her head. No, that would be asking for another miracle, and she hated pushing it, even if it was touted to be the season for miracles. Oh well, at least writing the report excused her from Saitou's celebration party with the rest of the section, which was a small reprieve from forced socialization with drunk people, a.k.a. her coworkers.

Her cell phone rang, startling her from her unpleasant reveries. "Hello, Kanami," she said when she saw the name on her phone, relaxing her tone somewhat.

"Hey, Misaki," her friend said brightly. "Guess what?"

"I shudder to think," Kirihara said, only half-joking.

"We're going bar-hopping for Christmas Eve!" Kanami shouted. "Isn't that great?"

Kirihara pinched the bridge of her nose over the bridge of her glasses. "You do realize that tomorrow's Christmas Eve, right?"

"Yeah, so? I know you don't have any plans, Misaki, and contractor activity can wait unless it's an emergency. Hence, we're going out tomorrow and getting totally wasted."

"And I have to see my father Christmas Day," Kirihara reminded her friend, unconsciously straightening her posture as she spoke.

"So do I, and my mom, too," her friend said, and Kirihara could almost see Kanami shrugging before tossing her brown ponytailed head. "I'll pick you up after work tomorrow. Don't forget to wear something cute!"

A flat smile crawled across Kirihara's face. "What if I forget?"

"I've got a dress or two you could wear, and I'll make you change clothes in the car," her friend said evilly. Dammit. "Got it?"

"Got it," Kirihara sighed, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"I swear, you make it sound like I'm dragging you in front of a firing squad," Kanami pouted, "I promise, we're gonna have fun! See ya!"

"See you," Kirihara nodded, and hung up. Then she looked up at the featureless ceiling. She really didn't have much in the way of party clothes, and her casual clothes were sporty more than dressy. She'd have to go shopping, which meant she'd have to spend money with her friend who seemed intent on going for high-price name brands. Great.


	2. Chapter 2

Hei yawned and stretched. It was pretty awesome, being able to sleep in, and he'd almost forgotten what that was like, between working a temporary part-time job, hunting down contractors, and evading the police. Yin was out at the cigarette stand, more for something to do than for working on an assignment. Huang was who-knows-where, and Mao, well, the lazy cat was probably warming himself in some cat-loving fool's home. While the Syndicate took care of its agents, Mao seemed more than well-fed on his own than if someone like Huang had to take care of him. He supposed that even shadowy agencies had to celebrate the holidays, because he hadn't heard anything new from either Huang or Mao in terms of assignments, so he was taking a well-deserved break from, well, everything.

His stomach growled, the rest of his body catching up to his fuzzy brain, and he reluctantly left the bare warmth of his thin blanket to make himself a meal. As usual, he cooked enough food to feed five people, and he devoured it in as little time as it would take five people to go through that much food. Now that he had food in his stomach, he was feeling warmer and more restless, so he decided to go out for a walk. It was a good thing his double-sided coat was bulletproof, he thought, the extra hidden layer made for decent insulation, but was hell to wear in the summertime. Shrugging it on, green side out, he made sure to button his shirt higher up than normal, and walked out into the cold city streets.

It was funny how absurdly normal Tokyo was, even with something like Hell's Gate in its midst and a false sky overhead. He wasn't sure if it was due to human nature in general, or the Japanese people in particular, but the obstinate determination to get on with life even with something obviously strange sitting out there was interesting. He looked at the shops filled with customers who were either more desperate than usual, or couples looking more lovey-dovey than usual. Strange, he thought, but maybe that's what the holidays do to the Japanese. He amused himself by contrasting the gaudiness of a store's decoration to the amount of desperate customers were inside, and started to scrap that initial theory, when someone banged into him.

"Sorry," he and the lady said at the same time, when he had a double-take. "Miss Kirihara?"

"What? Oh, no," she groaned, looking embarrassed.

He didn't see why she was embarrassed, she looked pretty with her hair styled, and a long fur-type jacket over a somewhat-revealing green dress. Her friend, Miss Ishizaki, was similarly dressed up, although she was in a red dress, and she seemed very, very drunk. "Are you two going out to a party?" he asked politely, only because his alter ego would ask.

"No, we're trying to catch a taxi cab," Miss Kirihara glared at her friend, who was staggering and holding on to her for dear life. "We've only gone to one bar, and she's had more than enough to drink!"

"Noooo, we need to get Mishaki, no, Mizaaaa," Miss Ishizaki gave up and waved her free hand at Miss Kirihara, "we gotta get hurrrr drunk, too! Yeah!"

While Miss Ishizaki was smiling up at him with glazed eyes and a too-wide smile, Miss Kirihara looked like she was both trapped and angry. Funny combination, he thought, feeling an urge to tease her, and deciding to go with it. "Sure, but only after we get you home first," he said agreeably.

"What?" Miss Kirihara's gaze nearly tore his mild-mannered persona to pieces, while Miss Ishizaki crowed, "Yesh! Okay! Take me hoooome!"

Then Hei, no, Li, stepped out into the street and stuck his hand out, nearly getting run over as he stopped the cab. "I think we got a ride," he said, grinning a little.

Miss Kirihara shook her head, but muttered a "thanks" under her breath as they got settled in the cab. Her drunk friend then grabbed him, and before he could free himself in a non-offensive and unobtrusive way, the door closed and they were heading toward Miss Ishizaki's apartment. "Um, sorry to drag you into this," Miss Kirihara apologized.

"It's no problem," Li answered, "I don't have to work today."

"Great!" Miss Ishizaki chirped. "You can take Mishaki out!"

"Sure," Li said placatingly, his hands up, and shrugged when the drunk brunette closed her eyes and crowed in victory. He helped Miss Kirihara get her friend to her apartment, mostly by being forced to carry Miss Ishizaki on his back. Oh well, she wasn't any heavier than anyone else he'd carried the same way, and he honestly couldn't complain about feeling her boobs against his back, even through his reinforced coat. He did, however, complain when said drunk woman started unbuttoning his shirt. "Can you stop that?" he asked plaintively.

Miss Kirihara shook her head, then had Hei dump her friend on her bed. "Thanks so much," she said, relieved now that her intoxicated friend was home. "I'm just going to change, so if you'll excuse-"

"Nooooooo," her friend wailed like a siren, and Li winced while the bespectacled lady rolled her eyes. "You promised!"

"I promised nothing," Miss Kirihara said sternly, "you go to sleep. I'm starting to get a headache already." Yikes. Li vaguely recalled having a teacher like her a long time ago, and was thankful he was never drunk in front of said teacher. Or Miss Kirihara, for that matter.

"But you didn' have fun yeeeeeeeeet," Miss Ishizaki slurred.

"Fine, fine, we'll have fun," her friend tried to tuck her under her futon.

"Pinky promish?" her hand suddenly shot up from under the futon.

"Sure," Miss Kirihara said, linking her pinky finger with her friend, but childishly crossing her other hand's fingers behind her back.

"Okay," Miss Ishizaki smiled, and started to snore loudly.

Once the bedroom door closed behind them, Miss Kirihara sighed and closed her eyes. "Thank goodness," she sighed. Then she opened her eyes. "I can pay for your cab home," she said, already opening her purse.

"Hey, like I said, I don't have work today," Li put his hands up. "I was just walking around, anyways."

Miss Kirihara looked surprised, then chagrined. "I'm sorry," she said, "I suppose I'm so used to taking care of my subordinates, I've been badgering you like an older sister, too."

Li chuckled and shook his head, walking out. "It's all right," he said, "I'd probably do the same thing in your shoes." Then he looked down, and seemed to suddenly notice that she was putting her feet into high heels. No wonder she almost came up to his height. "I'm guessing that's the other reason you bumped into me," he grinned, pointing.

She made a face, then locked the door behind them. "Unfortunately, my work clothes and my car are at work, so that's my next stop. I don't feel comfortable walking around like this all day."

"That's too bad," Li found himself saying, "you look nice."

"What?" she looked up at him and blushed when she saw him smiling.


	3. Chapter 3

Was he actually complimenting me on my appearance? Kirihara thought, and frowned. "What's the matter?" Li asked, his smile fading.

She shook her head. "Usually, people compliment me to get something. But you're the one who helped me get Kanami home, I don't understand where you're coming from."

Now he looked confused. "I just said you look nice because you are. Anyone with working eyes in their head could tell that."

"Oh, okay," she blinked.

The exchange student shook his head. "I guess you went to the wrong bar, if nobody told you that yet," he said.

Kirihara gave an unladylike snort. "Please. Anyone with working eyes in their head could see that people would naturally hit on Kanami, not me," she laughed, then stumbled when they reached the elevator.

He caught her before she fell face-first into the door. "Whoa, I think you still need to get used to those heels," he noted.

"Thanks," she said, embarrassed, but regained her balance quickly for her pride's sake, then hit the button. "Yes, well, it's not like I need to wear them on a daily basis," she said as the doors slid open and they walked in.

He smiled a little. "I've seen women in higher heels run to catch a train or a bus. I'm sure it takes practice, or at least a high tolerance for pain."

"Both," Kirihara grimaced, and they both laughed. "I'm sorry, I guess I've been in a bad mood all week, and both you and Kanami had to deal with it."

"Why's that?" he asked.

She opened her mouth, then closed it. It was kind of embarrassing and childish to admit, especially to someone as, well, good-looking as Li was. The elevator dinged, and they walked out. She shook her head, and they headed down the street. "It's stupid," she said, then stuck her hand out to hail down a cab. "It's too bad I didn't ask the cab driver to wait for me," she groaned as two cabs passed her. "Seriously?" she wailed as yet another cab passed by.

"Let me try," Li offered, and he tried the same trick as before, but this time, the cab swerved around him. "What the? How is it that they're all full now?"

Kirihara gave him an apologetic expression. "It's probably because the regular stores are closing, and the couples are going out in droves. My timing stinks."

Li made a sympathetic face, and then an idea came to his normally sleepy features. "Hey, what if we pretended to be a couple? I'm sure a cab would come by, and then you can get to your work faster."

She looked at him, then at herself, and laughed. "Yeah, right," she snorted, "we totally don't. I'm too dressed up, and you're…"

"Not?" he finished, a smile on his lips. "Let me try something." He took off his green coat, and before she could scold him about catching a cold, he hooked it on a finger over his shoulder, and slung his other arm around her waist. "How's that?"

Cute, she thought, real cute. "Here," she said, reaching up a hand to straighten his hair, "let me." Going by what she remembered from one of Kono's undercover hairdos, she brushed his bangs to the side, and when she was done, he almost looked old enough to hang out with her. "Better," she declared, and smiled.

He smiled back. "Thanks," he said, "so, do we look like a couple or what?"

She shrugged. "Let's check." He seemed surprised when, instead of pulling out a compact mirror, which she didn't have, she pulled him to a large display window that was backlit. "Hm, not bad," she said, pretending to be scrutinizing strangers in the window reflection instead of herself and some guy. It was already feeling weird enough as it was, especially with Li so close to her. Then she looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "Now, how would a couple hail a cab?"

He raised his own eyebrows in return. "You mean you haven't done this before?"

" No!" she snapped. "Have you?"

He blinked. "Um, not really," he shrugged, looking sheepish again, rather than being kinda cool like he was in the reflection.

She raised her eyes to the skies, and then laughed. "We are a couple," she giggled, "a couple of posers!"

"Hey, we're not posers, or at least, I don't think I am," he looked offended. "And we can catch a cab."

She crossed her arms. "How?"


	4. Chapter 4

He seemed to rally to her challenge, and looked around. "We copy what the other couples do."

"Poser," she couldn't help tease him.

"Brat," he retorted.

She drew herself up to her full height, and then some, with the heels. "You take that back."

"Nope," he grinned, linking his arm with hers, and started walking down the sidewalk. "You asked for it."

"Jerk," she grumbled, but her eyes, like his, were scanning the area for couples, which had started to multiply since the time she'd left Kanami upstairs in her apartment. "Hey, they look normal," she said, pointing at one nearby.

"Are you saying we don't?" he asked, and brought her hand down. "You don't have to point, that would give the game away."

"Oh, so it's a game now?" Kirihara asked, feeling mildly giddy. She's pretty sure that sip of Kanami's second drink shouldn't do anything, but now she's having second thoughts. "Bring it on."

"Fine," he said, "and you're losing already. You're not looking up at me like that girl is with her boyfriend."

"Fine," Kirihara tossed back, and gave him a simperingly sweet look.

He stared, and then burst into laughter, startling a few passersby. "Oh man," he chortled, "you looked like you were high or something. Can you at least look like you like me a little?"

Of course I do, Kirihara almost snapped at him, but settled for slugging him lightly on the arm. "Shut up," she muttered, "okay, okay, let's try that again. And if I have to do that, you have to look like that guy, like you're being witty and charming."

"You mean I'm not?" he looked mock-hurt. She slugged him again. "Hey, not helping," he said, rubbing his arm.

She rolled her eyes. "Please, it wasn't even that hard. Okay, come on, look like we're a couple," she urged him, like they're rallying for a sports game.

He tried, she could tell he was, but the corners of his mouth went up, and he started laughing again. "I'm sorry," he said, wiping his eyes, "but I felt like we were going against another country or something."

"Well, excuse me if I was trying to get us in the mood," she huffed.

"No, you weren't," he wheezed, "but it was a good try."

"Fine, then you figure out to make us look like a couple," she grumbled. Man, it's a good thing she never went undercover, she'd be blowing her cover just arguing about how to convince everyone else who she was supposed to be!

He narrowed his eyes, then shook his head, resuming their walk. "Well, from what I can see," he said, smiling at her, "they don't go around arguing like we are."

"Duh," Kirihara sniffed, and a gust of wind blew her formerly-carefully styled hair into her face. She tried to blow it out of her mouth, but only succeeded in making her fake date sputter into another fit of laughter. "Shut up."

He snorted, but brushed her hair out with his fingers. "For another, I don't think the girl is as gruff with the boy as you are, but let's say that you're trying to scare off other guys." His hand stayed on her face after most of her hair was back in place. "I like this style better than the Chinese style," he noted, almost absently.

"I'm fairly sure they were both expensive," she said, looking up at him. "At least I didn't have to pay for either of them."

"Lucky you," he smiled, somehow seeming even closer than he was before.

Okay, why was he still holding my face? She thought frantically. And why won't I move away? "Yeah, well, the fact nobody's trying to kill us this time is a good thing, right?" she smiled weakly.

His smile deepened, and it was only by sheer will that she managed to stay upright. "Definitely," he agreed, tilting her chin up toward him, "see, now you're talking positively."

"Yeah," she said, observing somewhat distantly that his face was getting closer to hers, and she didn't mind it at all.

And that's when the taxi cab pulled up and honked at them.


	5. Chapter 5

"Guess we do look like a couple," Li noted, smiling like his mild-mannered self again, opening the cab door for her.

Miss Kirihara blinked, but looked, he wasn't sure, maybe it was just his ego, but she looked a little disappointed as she stepped inside. Then she looked plain surprised when he jumped in after her. "Li?"

He smiled, then told the cab driver to drop them off at the police station. The driver looked understandably confused, but quickly replaced the expression with a neutral one and started driving. Nice, he thought, not as good as me, but nice. "Just wanted to make sure you got there safe and sound," he said, as harmlessly as he could.

She laughed. "That's sweet, but you know, I am a police officer."

"Yes," he agreed, "but right now, you look like a very attractive woman, not like an officer at all."

She didn't seem to notice she blushed, but her lower lip jutted out. "Great," she muttered. "And that's why I told Kanami nobody would take me seriously dressed up like this."

He looked confused. "No, I think you're the one who's not taking yourself seriously."

Now she looked confused. "What are you talking about? I take my job and myself seriously."

He chuckled, and put an arm around her shoulders. She stiffened, a much different reaction than she had moments earlier on the sidewalk. He sighed, then gave her shoulders a brief squeeze before letting go. "I mean," he said, "what you take seriously should depend on the situation. At work, you take the job seriously, but when you're relaxing, you should take compliments seriously." Then he paused. "Or do you not want to get compliments on your appearance?"

"I," she started, then stopped. "It depends on the person giving the compliment."

He smiled, ducking his head as he did so. This woman was too much. He thought he lived a complicated life, but she seemed intent on putting obstacles on even the simplest things. "You're a grown woman, that's your prerogative," he said as inoffensively as he could, "but what would happen if the wrong person gave you a compliment?"

"I'd shoot him," she said simply. "Or just rough him up a little."

Yikes. Yeah, he could kinda see why she didn't have a boyfriend, she probably scared any would-be Romeos off with that kind of attitude. "And what about if the right person complimented you? Or has the right person not showed up yet?"

She blushed, but looked away. "Not yet," she said softly.

"That's too bad," he said, just as softly, and for the first time, felt sorry for her personally, not just professionally. "You deserve to be happy."

Then she turned and glared at him. "Who said I wasn't happy?"

"That doesn't look like a happy face," he noted.

"Argh," she started rubbing the bridge of her nose. "You're starting to sound like Kanami, and you aren't even drunk."

Wow, she dodges the point even more than he does. Jeez. "Ever thought she might have a point?" he asked.

She sighed, and looked out the window again. "You're a sweet guy, Li, but that's not important."

"Thanks for the compliment, but I disagree," he said. Then he smiled a little. "See, that's how you take a compliment. Say thank you and go on from there."

She snorted and rolled her eyes, but she started to smile a little. "That easy, huh?"

"Yeah, that easy," he echoed. "Let's try that again. You look very pretty, Miss Kirihara."

"Thank you," she said, looking him straight in the eyes and lifting her chin, less in simple acknowledgment, and more like she's about to fight him.

He laughed and shook his head. "We've seriously gotta work on that."

She frowned. "What? I did just like you said, I said thank you and went on."

Li exhaled. "Yeah, like you were gonna punch me out next," he said, and the cab came to a stop before she could retort. "Okay, I'm gonna keep on bugging you until you learn to take a compliment well."

"What?" she looked outraged. "I thought you were just going to escort me here. Well, I'm here now, safe and sound."

"Not quite," he said, finding himself wanting to tease her a little more. Besides, it's not like he's got anything better to do for a while.


	6. Chapter 6

Kirihara found herself at a loss with this man, which was rare. She always knew what she was doing, and why, especially dealing with the opposite gender. Take charge and control the situation, she thought, a truism that applied not just to work, but to daily life. Did he not have any plans for Christmas Eve? Honestly, a man as attractive as himself should have something lined up, especially on this day, and yet, here he was, hanging out with her as if he wanted to. Strange.

She went to her desk, grabbed her work clothes from a drawer, and headed for the restroom. She didn't want to take up any more of Li's time than she had to. In less than five minutes, she shed her makeup, dress, and heels, for her regular shirt, slacks, and jacket, with the thankfully normal shoes to go with. When she stepped out, she found the exchange student where she left him: reading a pamphlet on public safety at Saitou's desk.

"That was fast," he noted.

"Then it's a good thing you weren't waiting for me when Kanami's stylist was putting on makeup and doing my hair," she smiled, "that took almost a couple hours."

He put down the pamphlet. "Thanks for letting me hang out with you," he said, his dark puppy dog eyes on in full force, "especially since it's Christmas Eve."

Hey, that's my line! She wanted to say. Instead, she said, "I should be thanking you. I'm sure you have something lined up tonight."

"Now that you mention it, I do," he said, and for some reason, her stomach plummeted to her feet. "I'm going to be spending time with a striking woman who needs to learn how to take a compliment."

She laughed, long and hard. "You're crazy, you know that?"

He nodded, giving her a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, because you really ought to enjoy yourself more. I don't mean we have to get you drunk," he said to her raised eyebrows, "so tell me, what did you really want to do for Christmas Eve? Watch a movie, read a book, shoot some bad guys?"

A smile still on her face, she answered, "Yes, to all of that."

Li shook his head. "It figures. Seriously, what were you going to do originally?"

She shrugged, then waved a hand at her desk. "Work, I guess. It's not like I have anything better to do."

"You sound just like me," he said, "minus the work part. Come on." He held his hand out.

She didn't take his hand. "Where are we going?" she asked, her defenses up.

He smiled a little, his hand still out. "I trusted you when there was a shootout at the Chinese restaurant, right?" She nodded. "Then trust me on this. Okay?"

"Why, are you expecting another shootout?" she said, raising her eyebrows. Then she took his hand. "Never mind, I have a feeling you won't tell me anyways until we get there."

"See, you get it already," his smile got deeper, and pulled her out of the office, then out of the building. And for some reason, she was okay with not being in control of the situation.


	7. Chapter 7

Usually, when Hei has a crazy idea, he just goes with it. It serves him well, especially since his actions serve to save his butt. This time, however, he's not sure what he's doing, or where they're going. He just knew he had to get her out of there, or she would have a miserable night. Sure, he knew she had to fill out those reports, but those could wait, especially the ones dealing with him. But just the thought of her stuck in that dreary office when it was supposed to be a holiday kinda depressed him, too, and he felt obligated to cheer her up.

So he dragged her out onto the sidewalk, a smile building from inside and filling his face. In a way, it was like he and her had changed places in this world. Normally, he knew his Li persona would meekly follow whatever Miss Kirihara said, but as himself, he felt that she needed a kick in the pants once in a while. Besides, he still had to figure out where the hell they were going.

"So, where are we going?" she asked again.

Make something up, Li, you're good at that, he told himself. "It's a surprise." Oooh, real smooth, Li Shengshun, real smooth.

She stopped, planting her feet down, which jerked him to a stop as well. "You really don't know, do you?" she accused him.

He blinked, then broke into laughter. "You really are a good cop," he said, still holding onto her hand.

"Oh my goodness!" she said, staring at him. "You drag me away from work, without a clue in your head! And I'm crazy enough to follow you!"

"Because you wanted to follow me!" he snapped back, losing his Li mellowness. "You don't want to work on a holiday any more than a normal human being would! Tell me, did you really want to work tonight? Or did you want to spend time with your friend and have fun?"

"It's not a matter of what I want!" she snapped back.

"Of course it is!" he yelled. "What the hell do you want for Christmas?"

"A Christmas Eve date, stupid!" she shouted heedlessly. "What do you want, idiot?"

"I want to see my family again!" he yelled. Then he stopped and stared at her, horror growing in the pit of his stomach. "Did I say that out loud?" he said, hesitantly.

She nodded, her face red. "We both did," she said in a small voice.

Oh, crap. Then the weight of her words sunk in, and he realized why her face was so red. He smiled weakly, an honest smile, for the first time with that expression. "Miss Kirihara?"

"Yes?" she said, looking both as shell-shocked and horrified as he felt.

"Would you like to be my date tonight?"

Okay, now she just looked shell-shocked. "Yes?" she said.

He took a deep breath, then let it out. "Okay, let's go," he said, in as normal a voice as he could muster, and started walking, her hand in his.

Some of the shock was wearing off. "Where are we going?" she asked, not for the first time.

"Someplace to eat," he said, and his stomach growled in agreement. "We're on a date, remember?"

"Oh my gosh," she groaned, covering her face with her free hand.


	8. Chapter 8

Although it was called "Home Run Restaurant", Kirihara thought they should rename it "Li's Stomach-Filler". How they managed to keep making enough ramen to keep him satisfied was a mystery, and his stomach quieted only after about eight bowls. As for her, she downed a gyoza platter as a matter of course, but she had a bowl of ramen to fill her stomach before ordering more gyoza. When they could barely see each other past the ramen bowls, she felt safe enough to talk. "Li?"

"Yes?"

She looked down at her empty bowl. "Sorry for yelling at you earlier. But why did you yell at me first?"

"I," he started, then stopped, making her look at him. He was looking down, too, his brow furrowed. "I didn't want you to be stuck at work. I mean, I think you love your job, and that's good, but, um," he shook his head helplessly.

"I know what you mean," she said, breaking in, and she looked back down, her face burning. "Thanks."

"Miss Kirihara?"

She sighed, then grinned. "You can call me Misaki, since this is a date."

"Ah, yes, um, Misaki," he looked up, embarrassed. Now this is the Li she knows, not the smooth guy he looked like earlier, or the passionately yelling guy, it's the mild-mannered, kinda dorky guy she… she's familiar with. "Misaki, have I told you how awesome you look tonight?"

She smiled. So he's still going for it. Brother. "Yes, you have. And thank you, Li."

"Call me Shengshun, Misaki. And see, you're getting better already!" he said earnestly.

Kirihara pushed up her glasses, but a smile's on her face anyways. "Thanks, Shengshun."

He lifted his last bowl to his face, but paused. "Misaki?"

"Yeah?"

Now he smiled mischievously. "I just wanted to see how many times I could say your first name without getting killed."

She sputtered, then laughed. "Jerk," she said, without heat.

He smiled back, then emptied the contents of the bowl into his stomach, with a brief stopover at his mouth first. "You are a great date, Misaki," he declared when he was done.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, curious.

He smiled. "Well, most girls have some kind of dieting thing, and they expect the guy to do the same, it seems. That, or people think I eat too much, period. But you're pretty cool with that."

"Well, I've got a weakness for greasy food, so I really can't complain," she smiled back, waving a gyoza in her chopsticks.

"Like I said, you're a great date, Misaki," Li smiled at her.

She had a somewhat familiar fluttery feeling in her stomach, and decided that she was still hungry, so she shoved the gyoza in her mouth. She covered her mouth to laugh when Li opened his mouth and said, "Aaaaaah."

Fine, she thought, and picked up another gyoza with her chopsticks, and popped it into his mouth. "Happy?" she asked.

He nodded up as he chewed, and that's when the chef brought in another ten bowls of ramen. The exchange student nodded again, and the chef disappeared into the kitchen, probably to give himself a brief break before attempting to actually fill that guy's stomach. "Wow, you are romantic, aren't you?" he said after he swallowed.

That was unexpected. "Pfft," she snorted, "you've got a weird idea of what romance is."

He shook his head. "I don't think so. It's about flirting, it's about food, and it's about friendship. Maybe not always in that order, I think," he said simply, and went back to hovering down his third bowl of ramen.

Huh. She never thought of it that way. Guess she really did buy into the whole idea of what the holidays and romance were about from popular culture rather than from her gut. And her gut agreed with Li. "I guess you're right," she said at last. "Li, I mean, Shengshun, you are a genius."

His sleepy dark eyes got big. "You mean that? Thanks, Misaki, please record that so I can send it to my next employer!"

She laughed, and so did he. Even though this wasn't really a date, she thought it was the best one she'd had compared to her real ones, that's for sure.


	9. Chapter 9

When they left the ramen restaurant, it was only after he assured her that he was really and honestly full. And this was after about twenty-three, no, twenty-five bowls, and half a dozen gyoza. Hei smiled, walking beside this contradictory woman. She was caring, but bossy, direct with everyone but shy with her heart, strict when working but disarmingly emotional when not. They kept up a brisk pace, but he stopped when she tugged at his arm. "Yes?"

"Li, no, Shengshun," she corrected herself again, "I'm sorry I can't help you with your wish."

He turned up the corners of his mouth into a sad, forced smile, but only because he knew he'd slip into his Hei mode if he didn't. "If you could, I'd be kinda scared," he said, trying to make his voice light, "since they passed away a while ago."

"Oh," she said, her mouth a perfect "o". "Now I'm really sorry."

He lifted his lower lip up, so that his mouth wouldn't be completely flat, but it still wasn't a smile. Damn, why'd he have to tell her that in the first place? Oh well, he knew he was going to zap her sooner or later, especially after he started flirting with her, which was a mistake to begin with. "Don't be," he said, "but thanks for caring."

She sighed, then frowned. "Shengshun."

"Yes?" he raised his eyebrows.

She seemed to be debating something, and then she stepped towards him. He didn't sense any bad intentions, so he let her come at him. To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around him and… hugged him. She only came up to his shoulder, and she leaned against him. "You're doing fine," she said, "and I'm sure your family's cheering you on."

He knows she didn't mean to, but that struck him as oddly funny. If she only knew, he thought, smiling as he returned the hug, she'd never say something like that. But then again, he never thought she'd say something so, well, girlish as wanting something as simple as a date, either. But he said was, "Misaki." He couldn't say thank you, because even as Li, it would be strange.

Then she looked up. "Shengshun."

"Yeah?"

"Tell me about your family."

He blinked. What the hell, it's not like she's gonna remember this anyway. "My parents died first," he said, "but I had to watch over my little sister before that. I didn't want to at first, no self-respecting boy does. But I respected my parents, so I did." His eyes glazed over slightly, seeing them in his mind's eye. "My mother was a gentle woman, but a terror in the kitchen," he smiled a little, "and my father was a school teacher. He liked to look at the stars, and he taught me to use a telescope. In a way, I'm glad he died before the sky changed, I think that would've killed him." Misaki put her head on his chest again, and he went on. "They died in a fire. The whole neighborhood went up in flames, but my father saved me and my little sister, then went back in to save our mother. They never made it out."

She squeezed him again, but it was kinda reassuring. He stared up at the sky, at his sister's, and now his, star. "Years later, after the sky changed, me and my sister were in another bad situation. I tried my best to protect her, but I failed." His eyes narrowed, remembering the mission, the killing, the betrayal, and finally, the blinding light that destroyed everything at Heaven's Gate. "Sometimes, I wish I died instead of her."

"No, you don't," Misaki said after a while, startling him. He looked down at her, and she had her determined face on. "You're alive because of her. She wouldn't want you to die any more than you wanted her to die, and if you did, she'd probably kick your ass."

He blinked, then he laughed. "Yeah, she probably would," he agreed, although Misaki would have no idea how right she was on that account. Sure, his sister could be sweet, but man, if you got her pissed off, you were doomed. "Thanks, Misaki."

She smiled. "You're welcome." Then she let go and turned, and started to walk, dragging him along with her. "Come on, as my date, you gotta escort me home."

He snorted. And sometimes, Misaki could be such a dude. "Hey, whoa, there," he said, making her raise her eyebrows as he put the brakes on.

"What?"

"That wasn't romantic at all," he said, then hooked her arm in his. "Okay, better."

She looked at their elbows, then lifted her chin with a smile. "Right." And she started doing her gung-ho walk again, until he picked up the pace, and made her stretch her legs, which made her lean forward and walk even faster, until they made it to her building, legs sore and laughing. "Sorry I made you walk all that way."

"I'm sorry I made you keep up," Li said, "ugh, I think I need to stretch them out before they turn to rubber." And he started doing bending exercises from when he was a child, nothing like the real stuff he'd do in the privacy of his bare apartment. As he expected, she started laughing, hard enough that she held her stomach. "What?" he said, putting on a hurt look.

"Oh brother," she wheezed, "come on up to my place and have something to drink before you go. And let me pull out your legs, please, you look ridiculous."

He pouted, but she shook her head, still smiling. "All right," he said, "I hope you don't live too far up."

"Fortunately, I have an elevator," she said as they walked in, and hit the button. They rode up in silence, and she fished out her key. "Okay, for goodness' sake, please sit on the floor and start stretching. I don't want to be responsible for you being in pain for the rest of your unintended holiday."

He did as he was told, and gamely started reaching for his toes. "What about you?" he asked, watching her backside as she went into her small kitchen.

"Oh, I'll definitely stretch, too," she said, "because I don't want to give the criminals the advantage of seeing me weak."

He felt a small twinge, but that quickly passed when he remembered she didn't let most people see her weak, Contractors or no. "Okay," he said, and then started pounding at his calves, since, wow, they did do quite a bit of a power walk to her place, and even he's gotta stretch after a chase.

She came back with two bottles of sports drink. "Drink up," she said, handing him one, and they knocked their bottles together before doing just that. Then she started walking away. Wait, what?

"Where are you going?" he asked.

She gave him a brief smile. "To change, silly. I can run in this, but it's hard to stretch out. Be right back."

He wondered if he looked relieved as he felt. Sometimes, he took his natural good looks for granted, and oftentimes felt it was an unwanted burden, especially in his line of work. But he never thought there'd be an attractive woman who didn't want him, and for a minute there – hey, wait a minute. Was he actually worried that she would leave him in her apartment, of all places? Jeez, he must be more jumpy than he thought. He continued to gulp the sports drink until it was all gone, and then he went back to stretching out his legs.

When she came back out of her room, his eyes nearly fell out of his head.


	10. Chapter 10

He's not sure why, but seeing Misaki looking as relaxed as she possibly could be in a dark tank top and shorts made her look sexy, even though he's seen her that day in a hot green dress and a cute red qipao much earlier. There's something about a woman who looks comfortable in her own skin, he thought, even if it's a faded pair of shorts and a top that's seen better days, that makes him want to salute her in a way that she probably wouldn't appreciate. That, and while she might think she's being modest with the dark-colored top, it's obvious to him that she's not wearing her battle bra (or whatever women call their tough padded bras) anymore. This should be fun.

She made a face, obviously mistaking his male interest for something else entirely, as she sat down on the floor across from him, stretching her legs out. "Yeah, I know this is a pretty awful outfit, but it's comfortable," she said, almost, but not quite apologizing.

He grinned. "I'm not complaining, I'm not exactly wearing a tuxedo myself," Li returned, "besides, your legs must be killing you."

He couldn't help but peek down her top as she leaned forward, touching her toes. "Kinda, yeah," she admitted, but continued to stretch out, oblivious to his subtle but appreciative gaze. After a few minutes, she sighed. "Remind to just walk normally," she groaned, her legs apart as she faced downward, her arms stretching out in front of her on the floor. "This is ridiculous."

Nope, this is awesome, he thought, but aloud, he said, in as inoffensively as possible, "If you want, I could massage your legs."

She straightened up, a slight smile on her face. "No, but thanks for offering."

There goes my smooth move to even try to touch her, he thought, but he wasn't about to give up yet. After all, while it's obvious she thinks the date is over, ratty clothes and all, he's getting more interested in her as a woman. He shrugged, "Just thought I'd offer," he said, "it was one of my part time jobs."

She chuckled. "It would be," she shook her head, now stretching one leg at a time. "Tell me, is there anything you haven't done?"

He could tell she was half-joking, so he answered lightly, "Orchestra understudy. I thought about it, but since I don't know how to play any instruments, that wouldn't work out."

Misaki laughed, and she pushed her glasses up her nose afterward. "Your work agency must be very interesting, to offer different types of jobs."

"You could put it that way," he grinned. "Were you always a policewoman, or did you try something else before?"

She grinned back. "I know it's boring, but I've always been a policewoman. After high school, I went to police academy, and then graduated as the policewoman you see today."

"Top of your class, too, I bet," Li commented.

She nodded, blushing. "Good guess," she said, focusing more on her exercise now than on him.

"Anyone ever tell you how cute you are, Misaki?" he said, as she was still oblivious as to what her top was revealing.

She looked up, blushing harder, but with a wry expression. "You keep complimenting me like that, I won't ever know when you're serious," she mock-complained.

He looked up at the ceiling, "I sense you're moving backwards." Li pushed himself up and ended up kneeling between her legs. "Guess I'll have to stick around and make sure you've learned your lesson."

She looked mildly alarmed. "Wait, thank you, thank you!" she said quickly, the blush still on her face.

"Nope, too late," he laughed, "let's try that again. Misaki, you're a brilliant, determined, beautiful woman. Anyone would be out of their mind not to date you." While the words were serious, he did his level best to put on his most harmless Li face possible.

Her mouth dropped in astonishment, but she quickly replied, her chin up to return the challenge, "Why, thank you, Shengshun, you're a very perceptive, hardworking, and handsome man. I'm sure someday, some woman would be very lucky to have you."

He was counting on that reaction, actually, because that meant her face was lifted to his. "That's a great way to end the date, isn't it?" he murmured, and now her eyes were definitely wide. He smiled at her, a real smile, and then he bent down and kissed her, simple as that, holding her surprisingly fragile jaw in his hand. He expected her to fight him a little, but she closed her eyes and softly, hesitantly, returned his kiss. Wow, he thought, I should've done this sooner, but then again, she might've shot me if I did.

Then she leaned into him, her mouth still open, so his tongue wandered inside, and damn if she didn't moan. He inhaled sharply, but that noise went straight to his crotch. Before they could go any further into regret territory, Hei pulled back with some disappointment, and before her eyes could flutter open, he zapped her.

She fell forward, and he caught her easily. "Here we go," he grunted, hauling her up and lifting her up over his shoulder. His dark eyes briefly slid over to the small but firm rear end next to his cheek, but he resisted the temptation, carrying her in that fashion to her bedroom. He tucked her into bed, and took off her glasses, putting it on the side dresser table with her alarm clock. Might as well make it look like she came home alone, he thought, and planned to dispose of everything else that showed his presence. But before he did, he leaned over and brushed her bangs out of her face, then kissed her cheek. "Sweet dreams, Misaki," he murmured.

She smiled a little. "Shhhhh," she mumbled, and his eyes widened slightly, but to his relief, she stayed unconscious.

Still, he made sure to clean up and leave quietly, with her none the wiser.


	11. Chapter 11

She woke up, mildly disoriented when she heard her phone. "Mmm, hello?" she muttered, not bothering to squint to read the name on the caller ID.

"Misaki! So, how did your night go?" Kanami sounded wayyyy too awake.

"What time is it?" Kirihara reached around and found her glasses. "Oh my gosh, it's almost ten!"

Her friend laughed. "I thought I had a hangover, but it sounds like you had yourself quite a party last night without me. So, who was that guy who helped us out?"

"What? What guy?" Kirihara frowned.

"You know, tall, kinda cute, I think," Kanami's voice wandered. "I thought you knew him, but I guess not."

"I guess not," Kirihara echoed, her memory fuzzy. She could've sworn she didn't have that much to drink, but maybe she was wrong. Wow, she must've gone dancing or something, because her legs were sore. "Kanami?"

"Yeah?"

"Next time I see you, I'm gonna kill you," Kirihara muttered, getting the wrong kind of reaction from her friend, who laughed instead of falling into a stunned silence. "I mean it," she continued.

"Oh, Misaki, I wish I could've been there," her wavy-haired friend continued to laugh. "But then again, it sounded like you wish you could've been there, too. Who knows, maybe Mr. Tall and Mysterious will show up again and you'll remember him. Do you have his number anywhere, or a name?"

Kirihara was rooting around in her apartment for just that. Apparently, however, it looked like she'd come home and changed, and didn't bring any handy scrap of paper with a name or number. If that was the case, she doubted his info was in her cell, but she'd check after this call. "Nope. Maybe it was a random Good Samaritan, but I've got nothing. Oh well, I should get ready, I'm having lunch with my dad. Thanks for waking me up."

"No prob," Kanami smiled over the phone. "Merry Christmas, Misaki."

For some reason, hearing her first name gave her a sense of disconnect, but she couldn't figure out why. Stupid hangover, she thought, I need to have a sports drink to balance it off. "Merry Christmas," she finally said. Her friend laughed and hung up, but Kirihara frowned. Weird. And weirder still, she had a sense of satisfaction, like she got what she wanted for Christmas. Maybe she kicked the crap out of some guy at a club, judging by the soreness of her legs.

She went to her refrigerator and grabbed a sports drink bottle. While she was drinking it, she felt a sense of déjà vu that nearly cracked her skull open. She groaned, wincing as she put a hand on her forehead. At least she wasn't coming down with anything, but it was still weird.

It took a while, but after a light breakfast that she surprisingly managed to keep down, she took a shower and put on a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved red shirt, a knit hat and a warm jacket to face the day. She took a deep breath, finding that it was odd she had to brace herself to meet her father, but then again, she got her strong personality from his, so she shouldn't be too surprised. After some leg stretches, which brought about another sense of déjà vu, she decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator to get her legs in shape. As she walked towards the restaurant where she'd be meeting her father, she came across a familiar face in a green coat. "Merry Christmas, Li," she called out.

He looked up, seemingly surprised. "Miss Kirihara," he said, his face as blandly innocuous as ever. "Um, Merry Christmas to you."

She smiled. "Are you off today?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's kinda weird, but nice."

"That's good," she smiled, and waved, wondering why her stomach felt fluttery. Stupid hangover, she thought as she walked on, and joked, "Stay out of trouble, okay?"

"I will," he said as he continued on his way.

She was almost down the block when she could've sworn she heard him say, "You, too, Misaki," but when she turned around, he was gone. Huh. Must be her imagination. She walked briskly, fighting both the mild ache in her legs and the strange sensation in her heart.

THE END


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